Packaged products sometimes have common food allergens that are unexpected.
Some examples of products that Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia (A&AA) are aware of include:
Coconut milk powder
Coconut milk powder can contain cow’s milk (dairy).
These products are correctly labelled with milk listed in the ingredients and some also have the statement ‘This product contains dairy’.
Tooth mousse
Tooth mousse contains an ingredient made from milk, as well as soy products, and that it is not suitable for people with these allergies.
Dark chocolate
Dark chocolate has a very high risk of cross contamination with milk if other products containing milk are made on the same processing line. Some dark chocolate products will include milk as the last ingredient in their ingredient list and others will list milk as a cross contaminant in their Precautionary Allergen Labelling (PAL) statement
A&AA advises people to check the food label of packaged food at least three times:
- When buying the food
- When unpacking the food at home
- Finally, before eating, drinking, or using the food in cooking